Tang Ya laughed heartily, but Bei Bei, not far away, could only join in with an awkward laugh.
What did she mean, get rid of that idea? Had he ever even entertained such a thought? He took a deep breath and told himself to keep smiling, to remain refined.
Xu Sanshi, well done! Without your ignorance, how could they have ended up together? Still, Tang Ya was ultimately his. At the very least, he had to hold on to her...
For some reason, he thought again of Lexuan's unusually flushed face that morning. Would Senior Sister be like that too once she had a man?
In truth, he knew perfectly well that he had no standing to demand anything. He just did not want to see that day come—the gentle, dignified older sister who had protected him ever since childhood. How could she show that side of herself to another man?
No, perhaps those were merely excuses. Maybe he simply wanted her heart to contain no one but him, even though his feelings for her had never been that kind.
That was probably possessiveness...
"I understand. You don't need to worry. I'll take good care of Nannan."
Ling Tianchen spoke flatly and casually brushed away Tang Ya's hand from his shoulder. He had never particularly cared for the Tang Sect's leader.
Tang Ya froze for a moment, then awkwardly withdrew her hand and looked at Jiang Nannan with a forced smile.
"Nannan, your boyfriend is pretty guarded around me. He looks like a good man—he knows to keep his distance from his girlfriend's best friend."
"Ahaha, yes, Tianchen is very considerate toward me." Jiang Nannan smiled as she tried to smooth things over, quietly nudging Tang Ya with her hand. "Tang Ya, go hand out some grilled fish to the